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Climate Change Promotes Aquaculture Cage Innovation

October 1st, 2008 by Andrew

New research to improve understanding of how climate change might affect off-shore waves and the potential impact on aquaculture has been released. 

The research had four objectives:

  • describe the mean wave conditions in the Australian region, (including season-toseason changes, and estimates of the extreme waves) by combining satellite, model and moored instrument data; 
  • to identify historical changes in the offshore wave climate, and in the intensity and frequency of extreme wave events, in the Australian region; 
  • to estimate historical changes in the intensity of waves reaching the coastline using regional wave models for selected regions; and 
  • to develop new models to simulate the combined effects of surface waves and storm surges and test these simulations along the eastern Victorian coast. 

The Department of Climate Change and CSIRO Wealth from Oceans National Research Flagship funded this study to describe Australia’s ocean wave climate and identify the trends and year-to-year changes in Australia’s offshore wave climate, including an estimate of the range of the extremes. 

Possible impacts of changing ocean waves in the coastal zone are:

  • coastal inundation during severe storm events through the combined effects of sea-level rise 
  • storm surge, and ocean waves 
  • chronic coastal erosion brought about by large wave events, or changes in wave direction shifting coastal sand and 
  • sediment sea-bed disturbance impacting sub-tidal habitats.
The study identifies the conditions under which increased frequency of large wave events, increased wave heights, and anticlockwise rotation of wave direction are most likely to be experienced in an array of locations around the Australian coast.
It also identifies the coastal positions that are most likely to be impacted by high wave energies.
Clearly this is important information for defining the positioning of aquaculture activities and the design of equipment and infrastructure designed to withstand such conditions. 

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2 Responses to “Climate Change Promotes Aquaculture Cage Innovation”

  1. Innocent
    October 6th, 2008 at 12:40 pm

    Andrew,

    One of the study recommendation is the need to understand how the waves may change under the effects of warmer climate as is expected in the coming century.
    Taking note that climate variability and climate change has a significant impact on wind and wave conditions globally, I see considerable amount of uncertainity in the idea of power generation from waves as it is the case with hydroelectricity power generation in Africa due to water fluctuations. If the facts given in debates on climate change impacts and global warming are genuine then power generation from waves will be uncertain due to these climate change aftermaths.
    Links:
    http://www.cmar.csiro.au/sealevel/sl_drives_short.html
    http://news.envirocentre.com.au/co2/newsletter.php#9963

  2. Methodology for Assessment of Natural Hazard Vulnerability in U.s. Coastal Zone Using Remote Sensing
    November 30th, 2008 at 4:09 am

    [...] climate change promotes aquaculture cage innovation [...]

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